Mono No Aware

Shaping our understanding of ourselves, the world around us, and our place within it, seeking connections is an essential part of youth and personal growth – with the influence left capable of outliving the connections themselves. Reflecting the sentiment of the Japanese phrase from which it takes its name, narrative short Mono No Aware engages with this inevitable passing of time, and emotions felt for moments that – although transient – leave a positive imprint on our existence.

Centering conversations and situations exploring love, sexuality and friendship, director Quinton Dominguez follows connections formed over a night in LA through two characters – one outgoing, and one introverted – and the way in which these personalities collide. By approaching a narrative piece with the same sensibilities that would usually apply to a music video or documentary, Mono No Aware merges fiction and reality, situating pre-existing connections within an imagined narrative, guided by their interactions.

“This film captures the essence of being young and imperfect; the longing of a connection that makes us complete. I believe a film is as much of a fictional story as it is a documentary of the actors whose lives are on screen. Mono No Aware is a mixtape to me, a collaboration between all my best friends in LA.”

Shot across five days with a crew of tight friends – all intuitive in their ability to work together – Mono No Aware captures locations iconic to the LA landscape, and the crew’s movements within it, creating an authentic document of the spaces its contributors frequent on film. With musician Romy Flores – aka DeathbyRomy – and NY creative Faith Harper cast as its leads, alongside Clip Brookins – whose personal archive of VHS footage also forms a sub-thread within the film – Mono No Aware stands as an cinematic portrait of LA and Dominguez’ personal world, told through the people who have molded it.